Aerodynamic valve



Feb. 23, 1954 J. H. BERTIN ET AL AERODYNAMIC VALVE Filed Oct. 26, 1948 IN valvr o R Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AERODYNAMIC VALVE Application ctober 26, 1948, Serial No. 56,582

Claims priority, application France October 31, 1947 (Cl. 13S-44) claims. 1

vfor a gasiform stream that is small in one direction and considerable in the other direction. without its being necessary to resort to any movable mechanical members, this di'erence in action being provided by resorting to the laws governing the ow of gases so that the device may well be termed an aerodynamic valve.

This arrangement allows furthering the direction of ow in a predetermined direction inside a circuit of gases or vapors. When applied for instance to the exhaust of internal combustion or explosion engines, it allows improving the scavenging of the cylinders by preventing the rearward movement of the burnt gases, which is of particular interest whenever the exhaust gases are to feed a gas turbine as used for instance for driving a supercharger. But such an application mentioned merely by way of example should not be construed in a limiting manner and the apparatus may be used to advantage in all cases whereby reason of the fluctuations impressed to the progress of the gasiform stream, it is important to constrain said gases to advance in a single direction.

Our improved arrangement covers the association of a succession of nozzles all converging in the direction of flow that is to be furthered, with a diiiusor mounted at the downstream end of said succession of nozzles in the direction considered. This diffusor may be constituted by a dissymmetrical Venturi-shaped member, the part of this member of which the free cross sectional area Varies more slowly being located in the downstream side in the allowed direction of flow.

The input of uid into the arrangement and its output may be provided along a common straight line which is an important advantage.

We have described hereinafter with reference to accompanying drawings given by way of example and by no means in a limiting sense an embodiment that will allow understanding how the invention may be properly executed, the features appearing both in the drawings and in the specification forming obviously part of the invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates in axial cross section a first embodiment of an arrangement according to our invention. l' Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the flow of gases in the allowed direction with a graph showing the variations in pressure along the arrangement.

Fig.` 3 is a similar diagram for the case where the flow is executed in the reverse or braked di- Iection.

Fig. 4 is an axial cross section of a further embodiment of an arrangement according to our invention.

The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a tubular section'l that is to form part of a pipe system through which a pulsatory gasiform ow passes, a series of successive converging annular bales forming discharge nozzles 21-22-23-24 and a Venturi-shaped member 3 beyond same. The direction of the allowed or free ow is that illustrated by the arrow A while the direction of the braked or hindered flow is illustrated by the arrow B and consequently the nozzles converge in the direction of the arrow A and the Venturishaped member 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the nozzles in the direction A; said member 3 is dissymmetrical and the portion thereof wherein the cross sectional area varies more rapidly is located foremost immediately beyond the downstream end of the nozzle system. The arrangement works in the following manner:

When the flow of uid progresses in the direction of the arrow A, the first nozzle 21 has for its action merely to restrict the gasiform stream while reducing its pressure and increasing its speed. Each of the following nozzles 22-23-24 receives the stream from the preceding nozzles before its elementary streamlines, that are properly guided in the direction of flow, may diverge to any substantial extent, the spacing between the nozzles being suitably designed to this purpose. The speed and pressure of the gas in the stream, as considered in the rst nozzle, remain substantially constant up to the entrance into the restricted portion of the Venturi-shaped member 3. Beyond said portion the gasiform stream enters the downstream end of the member 3, the cross section of which varies more slowly than in the input end. Consequently the high speed of the stream when considered in the restricted portion of member 3 may be damped with a good efficiency inside the diifusor formed by the Venturi-shaped member for the direction of flow considered, the wall of which flares out to a small extent only. The pressure thus recovered Apl (Fig. 2) is to be deducted from the loss of head Apl to which the uid is submitted as it enters the rst nozzle and which corresponds to the minimum pressure required for ensuring the throughput through the smallest cross sectional area provided by the arrange ment. The actual loss of load produced by the arrangement is nally where Apl is very much less than A'pl.

In the direction of iiow corresponding to the arrow A, the ow is thus executed under excellent conditions.

3 When, on thekcontrary, the gases have a tendency to iiow 'backwards in the direction of `^tlie arrow B, they meet rst the slightly tapering portion of the Venturi-shaped member 3. At thek open rapidly and, by reason of the shape of `the nozzles, the sharp edges of which `are directed towards the flow of gasiform fluid, said elementary streamlines cannot be taken fop-under good conditions 'by said nozzles. The flow is submitted to a further loss of head eaehtime :it passes through one of the successive nozzles.

At the moment at 'which the .ow ,passes through 'the opening o'f the last nozzle21,it moves witha certain speed .that is damped and'mayas preceding'ly 'be transformed in'to pressure so as to `reduce the'loss o'f'headit 'isvsubmitted to. IIB-ut in the case "considered, it is necessary on the contrary vthat this loss of head may 'beashigh as.possible. `We provide for this, by constraining -`the elementary streamlines to move away .as liar 'asipossible from the walls so that no rational damping 1of vthe speed may be obtained. vlt vis necessary 'to this purpose 'that Apj (Fig453') may be'as small aspossible; this requires, generally speakingithatithe'slope of 'the nozzles 2 may be sufficiently' rapid.

With 'an :arrangement .so designed the .loss of vhead in the braked direction .Apf=A"rpf-1Apf "is inuc'h higher ("six to `eight times) 'tlianthat lin the opposite 'allowed direction .IApZ=ApZ-A"pl The ladvan-tageousproperties of the arrangement "depend to a considerable amount on the :distance *between the nozzles 2. -A testing under permanent flow conditions and -then under vpulsatory 'conditions will lallow dening Itor each -c'ase the vop'tiifnu-rn spacing lbetween lnozzles.

The 'l-apparaftus Aillustrated in Fig. 4 includes the same members as "in the case of 1': "a channel -fl containing Ya iser-ies of convergen-t annular aailes forming 'discharge Anozzles '2r-2'z-2s'-24 and a Venturi-shapedmember "3. But ith'e nozzle openings instead fof all having the same `:cross sectional area have different opening 3areas and :are arranged Vfin a manner such that their *shape as -a whole may correspond to the foutline of :a .dissymmetrical Venturihshaped member. In other words, whereas Ain lthe fernfbodiment of Fig.'1'2the periphery oi'fth'e openings "of .th'emozzlesand a par-t yof 'the ineek or -narrowes't *zoneiof the venturi $3, lie non `a cylindrical envelope Isuriface C `(shown .in dotted line), f-in'the 1emfbodiment -oi Fig. '4, the envelope surface -S (also sho'wn vin dotted 'line-l has 4a convergent-divergent fsh'ape, the' convergent portion being :shorter vthan the divergent 'portion which merges with fa 'divergeht par-t tof lthe venturi.

The direction 'of allo-wed yiiow again that given 'out =byitl=1e larrow A 'while the opposed sbraked direction is `Lgiven :out '-by the yarrow B.

The operation is substantiallyithe same, *but the length of the apparatus is less which may be of interest for yalternating operation, the gaseous mass submitted to reversal of speed being smaller.

4 'bv-rously the above disciosed embodiments have been illustrated by 'way rof exemplication and it is possible to substitute for their constituont parts equivalent technical means, without unduly widening thereby the scope of the invention as defined in accompanying claims.

We Claiim 21st:

i. A unidirectional flow duct for allowing free downstream v-iiowand hindering upstream flow,

ycomprising in *combination a plurality of dishshaped annular .bales annularly engaging the inner wall of said duct and being longitudinally .spa-'eed thereralong, and forming coaxial, con- -vergi-ng passages, the least cross-sectional area of said passages being at the downstream end thereof, downstream lof said bales, an annular Venturi member,'inside .said duct, forming a convergnig-'diverging passage having ka qneck portion 'of 'least cross-.sectional area land Icoaic'ia'fl theformer-ment'ion'ed passages, the periphery of "the :downstream ends 'of-said converging passages and the periphery o'f thenec'k portion of saidA 'conVerging-diverging passage lying on :a smooth Lenvelope surface.

2. A unidirectional How duct according to claim 1, wherein 'the 'converging Ypart oi *said 'Venturi member is substantially v"shorter than-the diverging part thereof.

"3. 'A unidirectional flow duct for allowingree downstream 'flow and hindering "upstreamow, "comprising in 'combination ra plurality of dishshaped `annular bafles annularly Aengaging :the inner wall "of `said Yduct Yand 4'being,l'orxgitu'chnally spa-ced therea'long, and forming coaxial, iconverging passages, the Ileast `cross-sectional area of vsaid passagesv being' `at -the "downstream end thereof, `downstream of said "baffles, an 'annular Venturi-member, inside 'said duct, "forming a vconverging-diversng passage `'having a 'neck'portion of least cross-sectional area andcoaxialwiththe rformermentioi-'ied passages, the periphery'orthe `downstream ends 'of 'said 'con-"verging lpassages and the ,periphery of ythe neck 'portion 'of "said converging-diverging passage 'lying on tasmooth, feonverg-infg-'diverging envelopesurace "blending, lat vone renzd'thereof, with A'the 'converging surface 'of the :farthest vupstream''balile and, at 'the other fend thereof, 'the Vdiverging surface off 'said Vent-uri member.

44e-A unidirectional `ilow duct ta'ccorltling Ato 'claim 3,' wherein the convergingpart oi saidfenvelopesurface -is substantially *shorter than the fdiverging A`part thereof.

5. A unidirectional flow duct according to claim' -1, wherein ysaid 'envelope surface 'is of cylindrieal 'shape BERTI-N. 'FRANCOIS G.

iReerenees'lted in theilefof this patent UNITEDISTATES PATENTS Number .Name Eatt'e .1,559,155 veifllock .Qclt.;2l7 15925 1,663,998 Schmidt ZIaI'.. .27., ..1928 .1,691,344 ,CampbellmnMmcn 1,.;15929 92366 Kerr Apr.. 28,4321 1,867,876 Clark .'u'ly '19 1:932 .Z3-,46H78 flvfencier .A3112 -11 1, 1944 FOREGN l'PiiTEWI'S Number Country Date .330,151 Germany N Qct. 10,.:1919 

